The Triad of Travelling on a Shoestring

To start on any adventures, we came up with three, simple and important ways to go on a low-budgeted trip. The ‘triad’ which we will call it, is essential to any traveller who wanted a stress-free trip.

Firstly, to go on a trip, one must be able to PICK the destination, either local or international. The destination is vital to anyone who wanted to go travelling. This is because your destination will be the arbiter of your expectations for a fun-filled journey. Of course, the word ‘fun’ is a subjective term which is defined differently by anyone. What might be fun to me might be uninteresting to someone, or vice versa. Let’s take a clear example of this. In 2009, we decided to go on a one-day trip for train enthusiasts in one of the suburbans in the southwest of Sydney, known for its Festival of Steam. I was initially adamant to tag along with my partner’s friends, mainly because I was not into trains. However, he told me that there were other things to do and see there like having to roam around the one-of-a-kind train museums which houses old trains and historical railway rolling stock. The term historical was a clincher to me as I was into anything historic or ‘ancient’. Besides, I was trying to learn more of the culture of Australia as I was new to the country. True enough, at the end of the trip, though I was exhausted and tired, it was a great trip and educational at the same time. Now, I must admit I am also into trains after that! What did I learn from it? Simple, I learnt to be open-minded on any destination, because it helped me unravel other interests of mine, in this case, trains. Another thing is that I learnt about the historical value of steam trains to Australia and being new here, I get to discover the Aussies’ passion for trains.

Secondly, a chosen destination would not be great and amazing if we do not PLAN it. The importance of planning is to lessen the ‘unwanted baggage’ that go along with journeys. What I meant in here are the so called ‘little disasters’ that come our way on the trip like fully booked accommodations, extremely packed public transportation or even bad weather. If we tend to plan things in advance, these undesirable circumstances might be prevented or, at the least, minimised. You do not want to be in northern Europe on summer outfits when you are intending to visit it during the cooler months of December, January and February; that would definitely be disastrous!

Part of planning is what most of us fail to do which is to do research, especially when there is inadequacy in time to do so, due to our hectic schedules. But research is particularly crucial if we wanted to have an extraordinary trip. When I was younger, I used to go on trips that were unplanned and less researched, and most of the time, I end up regretting that I went to the place because I do not have any clue of what the place has to offer or, at the most, unable to appreciate the important landmarks of the destination.

In this era of computer and internet, most, if not all, are at our fingertips. Why wouldn’t we take advantage of this technology to make things like research easier for us? Google them up!!!

Finally, after planning, next thing to do is to PREPARE for it. Make a list of things you would like to bring and places you would want to visit and see in your chosen destination. Together with planning, especially to those who are on a tight budget, this will give you a better view of your upcoming trip. Again, make use of the internet, to research for cheaper accommodations, transportations, and the all-important ‘freebies’ that the destination can offer. Here in Sydney, I am a fan of the website events4sydney.com where I get to know where the cool and budget-friendly places in this beautiful city. Check local websites of your destination as well, you might get a hint of what stuffs are they offering. And, of course, while on your destination, ask the locals for the best and cheapest places to dine, to relax, and to unwind.

To sum up, travelling needs to be systematically done, not hastily decided upon. It entails a lot of picking, planning and preparing. So next time, you go on a journey think – THREE P’s!

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One thought on “The Triad of Travelling on a Shoestring”

Great tips to summarize the things that you need to make sure before your trip. These triangle diagram not only applies to travelling but also in things you would love to do and in any other event. Thanks for these travel tips!